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Annular Lesions (annular + lesion)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences100%

Selected Abstracts

Annular atrophic lichen planus

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2007
Rosa Marķa Ponce-Olivera MD
A 30-year-old woman presented with a 1-year history of a pruritic eruption on the extremities, characterized by several annular plaques. The patient had been treated unsuccessfully with medium-potency topical steroids. The lesions had an erythematous papular border with an atrophic center (width, 1,4 cm) (Fig. 1). No oral, genital, or nail lesions were observed. Figure 1. Annular lesion with an infiltrated border and atrophic center A skin biopsy from one of the plaques was performed. Histopathologic examination of the raised border showed hyperkeratosis of the stratum corneum, focal thickening of the granular layer, basal liquefaction degeneration of the epidermis, and a band-like subepidermal infiltration with numerous Civatte bodies. In the center of the lesion, the epidermis became thinner (Fig. 2). Elastic fibers were reduced or absent in the papillary dermis. Figure 2. (a) Biopsy of the border of a plaque with the typical changes of lichen planus (hematoxylin and eosin, ×10), with flattened epidermis in the center of the plaque; (b) medium power of the border of the plaque with details of the changes of lichen planus (hematoxylin and eosin, ×40) The patient was treated with high-potency topical steroids for 2 months with clinical improvement. [source]

Annular lesions on the forehead of a 44-year-old woman

CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2010
R. Coelho
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

Disc structure function and its potential for repair

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RHEUMATIC DISEASES, Issue 1 2002
J. Melrose
The intervertebral disc (IVD) is the largest predominantly avascular, aneural, alymphatic structure of the human body. It provides articulation between adjoining vertebral bodies and also acts as a weight-bearing cushion dissipating axially applied spinal loads. The IVD is composed of an outer collagen-rich annulus fibrosus (AF) and a central proteoglycan (PG)-rich nucleus pulposus (NP). Superior and inferior cartilaginous endplates (CEPs), thin layers of hyaline-like cartilage, cover the ends of the vertebral bodies. The AF is composed of concentric layers (lamellae) which contain variable proportions of type I and II collagen, this tissue has high tensile strength. The NP in contrast is a gelatinous PG-rich tissue which provides weight-bearing properties to the composite disc structure. With the onset of age, cells in the NP progressively die as this tissue becomes depleted of PGs, less hydrated and more fibrous as the disc undergoes an age-dependent fibrocartilaginous transformation. Such age-dependent cellular and matrix changes can decrease the discs' biomechanical competence and trauma can further lead to failure of structural components of the disc. Annular defects are fairly common and include vertebral rim-lesions, concentric (circumferential) annular tears (separation of adjacent annular lamellae) and radial annular tears (clefts which initiate within the NP). While vascular in-growth around annular tears has been noted, evidence from human post-mortem studies indicate they have a limited ability to undergo repair. Several experimental approaches are currently under evaluation for their ability to promote the repair of such annular lesions. These include growth of AF fibrochondrocytes on a resorbable polycaprolactone (PCL) bio-membrane.1 Sheets of fibrochondrocytes lay down type-I collagen and actin stress fibres on PCL. These matrix components are important for the spatial assembly of the collagenous lamella during annular development and correct phenotypic expression of cells in biomatrices.1 An alternative approach employs preparation of tissue engineered IVDs where AF and NP cells are separately cultured in polyglycolic acid and sodium alginate biomatrices, either separately or within a manifold designed to reproduce the required IVD dimensions for its use as a prospective implant device.2 AF and NP cells have also been grown on tissue culture inserts after their recovery from alginate bead culture to form plugs of tissue engineered cartilage.3 A key component in this latter strategy was the stimulation of the high density disc cell cultures with osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1) 200 ng/mL.3 This resulted in the production of tissue engineered AF and NP plugs with compositions, histochemical characteristics and biomechanical properties approaching those of the native disc tissues.2,3 Such materials hold reat promise in future applications as disc or annular implants. The introduction of appropriate genes into disc cells by gene transduction methodology using adenoviral vectors or ,gene-gun' delivery systems also holds considerable promise for the promotion of disc repair processes.4 Such an approach with the OP-1 gene is particularly appealing.5 The anchoring of discal implants to vertebral bodies has also been evaluated by several approaches. A 3D fabric based polyethylene biocomposite holds much promise as one such anchorage device6 while biological glues used to seal fibrocartilaginous structures such as the AF and meniscus8 following surgical intervention, also hold promise in this area. Several very promising new experimental approaches and strategies are therefore currently under evaluation for the improvement of discal repair. The aforementioned IVD defects are a common cause of disc failure and sites of increased nerve in-growth in symptomatic IVDs in man and are thus often sources of sciatic-type pain. Annular defects such as those described above have formerly been considered incapable of undergoing spontaneous repair thus a clear need exists for interventions which might improve on their repair. Based on the rapid rate of progress and the examples outlined above one may optimistically suggest that a successful remedy to this troublesome clinical entity will be developed in the not so distant future. References 1JohnsonWEBet al. (2001) Directed cytoskeletal orientation and intervertebral disc cell growth: towards the development of annular repair techniques. Trans Orthop Res Soc26, 894. 2MizunoHet al. (2001) Tissue engineering of a composite intervertebral disc. Trans Orthop Res Soc26, 78. 3MatsumotoTet al. (2001) Formation of transplantable disc shaped tissues by nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus cells: biochemical and biomechanical properties. Trans Orthop Res Soc26, 897. 4NishidaKet al. (2000) Potential applications of gene therapy to the treatment of intervertebral disc disorders. Clin Orthop Rel Res379 (Suppl), S234,S241. 5MatsumotoTet al. (2001) Transfer of osteogenic protein-1 gene by gene gun system promotes matrix synthesis in bovine intervertebral disc and articular cartilage cells. Trans Orthop Res Soc26, 30. 6ShikinamiY , Kawarada (1998) Potential application of a triaxial three-dimensional fabric (3-DF) as an implant. Biomaterials19, 617,35. [source]

Clinical and histological spectrum of elastotic changes induced by penicillamine

AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 2 2002
Eric Poon
SUMMARY A 79-year-old-man with cystinuria requiring long-term penicillamine therapy presented with a 6-month history of itchy annular lesions in both axillae. Clinical examination revealed lesions consisting of crusted keratotic papules coalescing in an annular distribution. Associated findings included generalized skin laxity accentuated on the upper trunk and arms, as well as small yellowish papules on the neck. Histological evaluation revealed short, thick, eosinophilic elastic fibres with nodular protrusions. Transepidermal elimination of abnormal elastic fibres was also evident. We discuss the histological and clinical spectrum of penicillamine-induced elastotic changes and compare these changes to those seen in primary elastotic disorders. [source]